


Sub Rosa

by murasashi



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Beauty and the Beast AU, Currently unbeta'd, F/M, Gen, so bear with me pls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-09 19:25:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12895047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murasashi/pseuds/murasashi
Summary: A beast, a beauty, a castle, and a curse, but perhaps not as you remember them.Rating may go up later for violence, but I don't anticipate going higher than T.Note: The tags use the characters' Japanese names, but I will be using their names from various dubs (or variations thereof) to fit an ambiguously European fairy tale setting. It should be fairly obvious who's who, but I will include notes just in case.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I blame finals and Disney's insane marketing for the live-action remake.
> 
> I know I tagged this as a Beauty and Beast AU (and it is), but there will definitely be a variety of elements from other fairy tales, myths, pop culture, and the Sailor Moon universe. I like to leave easter eggs.
> 
> Not sure how long this will end up being when all is said and done, but I have the major plot beats mapped out and I'm aiming to keep this fairly short and sweet.
> 
> Also, I'm looking for a beta reader!

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a king and queen. It was a day of celebration throughout the kingdom, for it was their firstborn child and heir's name day. It was an especially joyous occasion because they had long wished for a child and only recently been blessed with a healthy baby. A great feast was held at the palace, along with a presentation of gifts and blessings for the new royal.

But not all were quite so full of joy as the new parents.

An ominous wind threw open the doors to the great hall with a force that shook the castle walls themselves. A wizened old woman entered, hobbling along with a gnarled walking stick. Despite the balmy summer weather, a distinct chill descended upon the hall. The guards advanced to block her path, but an otherworldly force repelled them as though she were doing nothing more than walking through a field.

She gazed down at the crib with a sardonic smile. "My, what a charmer." She turned her gaze from the practically petrified monarchs to their frozen and fearful guests. "Why the commotion? I am but a humble subject with a gift for this child."

She turned once more to the child and tightened her grip on her walking stick. "When next the moon wanes, this child shall become a creature most foul." A dark power surged around her, making the air heavy and oppressive. "This child shall die wretched and despised, for none could love a beast!" Her face contorted with wicked glee as the distressed infant began to wail. "Your name and your house shall be no more!"

Suddenly, a blinding light shone in the hall, interrupting the old woman. Her face immediately fell as if she recognized what was occurring. "No, it couldn't be-"

A statuesque figure stood between the old woman and the crib. Her bearing was elegant and poised, her blue eyes deep with the wisdom of many lifetimes. Her shimmering silvery hair and alabaster skin evoked the image of a moonbeam shining through the darkness. "Uninvited one, I banish thee!" Her voice rang throughout the hall as she summoned forth a warm, brilliant light. The old woman vanished upon coming into contact with the light, leaving only her tattered cloak and walking stick.

A calm warmth and stillness returned to the hall as the light faded. The king and queen, released from the wicked magic, nervously approached their savior. "Th-thank you..." The king managed to splutter, still shaken by the powerful magics before him.

The fair one turned and smiled gently with sad eyes. "My apologies, Your Majesty, but I must refuse your thanks, for I cannot lift this curse in its entirety. However..." She calmly reached her long fingers down to the baby, gently brushing downy tufts of hair as the baby ceased crying and looked up at her with wondering brilliant blue eyes. "I shall bestow my protection upon you, dear child. You may yet live a full life, so long as you love and are loved in return." She leaned down to whisper to the now calm child, whose fingers grasped clumsily at her long silken hair. "After all, true love is the most powerful magic of all, little one."


	2. Departure

_ Several years later… _

The sun rose on a small village overlooking the sea, only just warming the crisp winter morning. The fresh air of the high bluffs was tinged with just a hint of sea salt on the breeze.  The sleepy town stirred to life little by little; first with the fishermen returning from the trails to the rocky shores, then with the smell of freshly baked breads, then with the rising bustle of deliveries coming in by the main road.

The village apothecary, a kindly middle-aged man, drew a traveling clock around his shoulders, expecting to return home by the next morning if this trip to buy fresh seasonal herbs went as planned.

* * *

 

It didn’t.

That evening, a fierce storm blew in from the sea. The trees rattled and the wind howled through the woods as the path became less and less clear in the pouring rain.  _ Just my luck_, Maurice grumbled to himself.  _ What a time to get caught in a storm. At this rate… _ His train of thought was interrupted as he slipped on a muddy patch and landed on his back. Thankfully, he still had his wits about him, but by the time he had slowly struggled to his feet on the slick ground, the path was obscured by rain and mud and the woods looked the same in virtually every direction.

He drew closer to the trees, using them to support himself and keep himself from falling again as he searched for the path. As he trudged on, he became more and more aware of a throbbing pain in his lower back - apparently, that fall had not been as minor as he had thought.  _ Great. _

After what felt like an eternity of fighting the woods and the winds, the trees began to give way. Through the driving rain, he could just barely make out the silhouette of a house of some kind. Thinking of little else but shelter from the storm, he barreled through the wrought iron gates and the courtyard. He vaguely recalled putting his hands on the great doors before exhaustion and pain finally took their toll and everything went dark.

* * *

 

Maurice awoke with a start, only to be greeted with an all too familiar dull ache in his back. “Ugh...am I getting too old for this?” He groaned groggily.

He began to take in his surroundings as alertness gradually took hold. This was a room far more opulent than anything he had ever seen in his life. The walls were covered in a rich damask pattern, and a plush rug lined the floor. A warm fire crackled steadily in a fireplace across the room as his traveling cloak dried before it on the hearth.  He carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed and started to pace the room to warm himself up.  _ How long have I been asleep? _ He wondered, and drew back a heavy velvet curtain with a rope. He was met with the afternoon sun, still high enough that he could surely make his way home before dusk. Backache be damned, he was determined to avoid overstaying his welcome.

He went to the hearth to gather his things and spotted a fresh meal of soup and bread laid out on a nearby table. His host - whoever they were - was apparently quite accommodating. He allowed himself just enough time for a simple meal with some of the bread left over for the journey home before returning to his preparations.

“If you are ready to leave, you may. Your path is clear.” A young female voice - probably a maid - came from the other side of the door.

It was an oddly specific thing to say, but Maurice paid it little mind. He had little reason to second-guess the kindness he had been shown in such a fine house. He opened the door to address her, but found only an empty hall in return.

“You must leave this place as you found it.” The voice came again.

A chill went down the man’s spine despite the traveling cloak, but he shook it off just as quickly as it came on. He had heard old wives’ tales and fairy stories about the various misadventures of lone travelers in the woods, but those were meant to keep children from wandering off alone and ill-prepared. Besides, such strangeness had little use for an old man like him anyway.

The fresh winter air greeted him by prickling his face with cold. His first few steps out into the courtyard were careful as his eyes adjusted to the bright natural sunlight. In the light, he saw the courtyard more clearly than he did upon his arrival. He recognized the great iron gates, but the walls were covered in rambling black roses with thick, thorny vines, the likes of which he had never seen before. The roses had spilled off of the walls and into the courtyard, beginning a slow creep toward the house itself. Despite their number, they appeared to have no scent of their own and gave the place a distinctly forbidding appearance.

Amidst the rambling, overgrown mess of the courtyard, Maurice found his eye drawn to yet another rose. This one grew closer to the castle, albeit tucked away near some sort of statute that had long since been overrun by various flora.

The roses looked white at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the petals appeared to have some sort of iridescent quality. At just the right angle in the bright afternoon sun, he caught a glimpse of all the colors of the rainbow.

It was simply breathtaking. As far as he knew, plants like this simply didn’t  _ exist _ . He had to examine it with all the tools that would be at his disposal at home.

Out of force of habit, he extracted a small handheld pair of clippers from his bag and carefully cut a single rose from the bush - 

  
“ _HOW DARE YOU!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting the ball rolling in this two-part update! Please leave comments, I do read them. :)


	3. The Woods Are Just Trees, The Trees Are Just Wood

_ Three days earlier… _

“Make sure to take some fresh water with you.” The apothecary’s apprentice, a tall dark-haired young man currently tending to some thyme by the window, said coolly.

“Ah, thank you for reminding me.” The apothecary bustled into a small area just behind the counter and rummaged around until he found an appropriate container. “Sometimes I think I’d forget my own head if you didn’t remind me.” He chuckled, receiving only an affirmative ‘hm’ in response from the focused young man. 

“I should return tomorrow morning at the latest.” He placed a firm, but gentle hand on the apprentice’s shoulder with an easy smile on his face. “But I’d trust you to handle things if I left for an entire week. You’re a natural at this, son.”

This brought a mischievous half-smile to the young man’s face. “I hope this isn’t your way of telling me that you’re taking a surprise vacation.”

“Of course not!” The older man guffawed, clapping him on the upper arm. “But thank you for keeping me honest.”

“I do my best.” The boy smiled calmly.

“Well then,” The apothecary picked up his pack and adjusted it for comfort. “I’d better be going. Take care, Darien.”

“Have a safe trip.” He waved as he took his place behind the counter.

* * *

 

At lunch time, Darien briefly closed the shop to make a trip to the bakery a few doors down. The warm, enticing smell of fresh bread hit him as soon as he stepped outside the threshold of the apothecary, all the more reason to pick up his pace.

The baker’s daughter, Liza, an energetic girl a few years younger than him with auburn hair tied back in a simple ponytail, greeted him with a smile. “Afternoon! Two loaves of the usual?”

“Ah, actually, just one today. Father’s out on a trip.”

“Coming right up!” She quickly picked out a plain loaf of bread as he counted out change. “Should I tell Andrew you’re here?” 

“No, I should really get back. I can’t leave the shop empty on my first day running it alone.” He offered a sheepish half-smile. “Maybe another time. Tell him I said hello.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Liza carefully handed him the still-warm bread and shuffled the coins into the till. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. It can’t be any worse than the one time Andrew had to man the shop by himself, he didn’t even make it through half the day before-” 

“Liza, that was  _ one time _ !” Her elder brother yelled in exasperation from a back room. Liza only giggled in response.

“Anyway, I should be going. Good to see you.” The boy politely saw himself out with a small wave as the siblings started to squabble.

A young woman with long dark wavy hair entered the bakery shortly after he left. She listened to the argument for a bit before politely clearing her throat to catch Liza’s attention. 

“Oh goodness, sorry! Didn’t mean to ignore you, Beryl, but you know how Andrew gets-” There was an audible huff from the other room, and Liza rolled her eyes in response. “Anyway, what can I get you?”

 Beryl gestured towards the door with her head, a quizzical look on her face. “Since when does Darien spend his lunch at the rumor mill instead of in the stacks?”

Liza shrugged. “Since he got put in charge for the day.” A positively Cheshire grin took over her features. “You  _ know _ ,” she led, slyly extending the word ‘know’, “this might just be your chance.”

 Beryl flushed pink, her dark eyes darting back and forth. “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

Liza chuckled. “Whatever you say. Now, do you want some buns or not?”

* * *

 

Before returning to the shop, the young apprentice made a brief detour to the bookstore. When he entered, the shopkeeper, a petite older woman, turned her head to regard him while reaching to replace a book on the shelf. “Ah, Darien, what brings you in today?” With her focus elsewhere, she faltered, and he rushed over to help her, easily sliding the book into place on the high shelf with his longer arms.

“I brought you a little something for your back.” He produced a small tin container of salve from the basket he was using for his errands.

“Oh, thank you.” She eagerly took the tin. “This is a little earlier than I expected.”

“Father’s out of town, so I had a little more time to work on it.”

She beamed with pride as if he was her own son. “Well, it’s about time! I’ve been telling that Maurice to let you take on some more responsibility for the _longest_ time. I’m glad to see he finally took my advice.”  

He couldn’t help but to crack a grin in response. “You’re lucky he isn’t here to hear that.”

She waved as if to dismiss the thought. “He can say what he wants, but I know that he knows good sense when he hears it.”

“Oh, one more thing,” Darien glanced over to the shelves. “Would you happen to still have that plant encyclopedia? The latest edition?” 

“Of course, dear. Matter of fact, you might as well keep it.” He tried to make some sound of protest, but her dismissive little turn of the head and wave of the hand signaled that it wasn’t going to be worth his effort. “Let’s call it an investment.” She placed the book squarely into his hands. “Keep up the good work, okay, young man?”

“Y-yes, of course.” He nodded, unexpectedly nervous. “But are you  _ sure _ ? This must be valuable-” 

“Of  _ course _ , dear. Besides, who else is going to need a book like that in a place like this?” She put her hands on top of his firmly, as if to close them around the book. “I think you’ll use it well.”

He straightened up as if trying to physically shoulder the burden of her expectations. “Thank you.” He said deliberately, maintaining steady eye contact.

“Any time. Now, get going! Don’t let an old maid like me keep you from you work!” She saw him off with a sunny smile before turning back to the set of volumes to be shelved.  _ Maurice might not have it all together, but he’s raised a fine young man. _ She smiled to herself as she picked up the next volume of Ovid’s  _ Metamorphoses _ .  _ How quickly the years go by. _

* * *

 

The rest of the day went by without incident. Darien was thankful it was a relatively slow day for business aside from the usual necessities for mild colds and chills; it gave him time to pore over the encyclopedia and make sure that his information on the basics was up-to-date. As he finished checking the records and the till, he noticed that the sunset had been obscured by gathering storm clouds. He felt a pang of worry, but willed it to pass for now. Father had, after all, said “tomorrow morning at the latest”, so maybe he had decided to wait out the storm and return in the morning.

Before he could dwell on it for too long, there was a knock at the back door, which led to the part of the building used as a living space. He took the encyclopedia with him and set it down open on a table before answering the door.

Beryl stood in the doorway, a basket of cross buns in hand. “Good evening. Mind if I come in?" 

“Uh, sure." He gently closed the door behind her to keep out the cold.

“Maurice is out of town, right? I heard from Liza.” She stood primly, back straight as usual. If he didn’t know better, he’d say that she was trying too hard, but if anything, her manners right now were probably “sloppy” by her family’s standards.

There was that nagging feeling again. “Yes, he is.”

“How was it, being on your own for the first time?”

Darien shrugged. “Fine. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

 “That’s good.” An awkward silence set in as she started to fidget with her hands.

Darien raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t too fond of small talk, so she had to have _some_ reason to drop by, preferably one that didn’t involve wiling away the rest of the night with awkward pauses. “Did you need something?”

_Straight to the point, as usual_. Beryl cleared her throat. “Actually, yes. My father was wondering if you would like to come to our house for dinner later this week.”  

“Oh,” Darien was fairly sure that he’d earned one slightly shorter workday for the week. “I’d like to, but I-”

“No ‘buts’.” Beryl turned to leave. “I’ll let him know to expect you. I’ll see you once he settles on a date.”

 Darien knew that look in her eyes meant that there was no use arguing about it. Besides, the odds were good that he would in fact be available anyway. “Get home safely.”

“Of course.” She smiled gently, a more honest expression than the smaller, more ladylike smile she had used earlier. “Good night.” Once Darien nodded a quiet affirmative and shut the door, she turned for the outskirts of town and drew her shawl a little tighter around her shoulders as the wind picked up, but it felt redundant when there was a little extra warmth in her chest. Sometimes, talking to Darien felt like talking to a wall (a tall, dark, and handsome wall with blue eyes that nearly every girl in town had gone on about at  _ some _ point in their lives, but a wall nonetheless), but she was sure of her place after they had been friends for most of their lives.

Now, to convince her father.

* * *

 

Morning turned into late morning, and late morning turned into another day of managing the shop alone. Fortunately, the orders were well within his range of ability, but he spent most of the day absently grinding his teeth out of worry. It simply wasn’t like Father to be so far off of his expected arrival. If anything, he tended to  _ over _ estimate his travel time just in case he got sidetracked.

That evening, Darien packed his own bag of travel supplies and silently prayed that he wouldn’t have to use it.

* * *

 

At daybreak on the third day, Darien took his pack and set out for the woods, following the path that he knew Father must have taken to reach the next town. But there was little sign of him along that well-traveled road; he asked every passing traveler and caravan, but none had seen hide nor hair of the elder apothecary once he had begun the journey home.

A distinct feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Scatterbrained as he was, it wasn’t like him to wander off like this - not when there were orders to fill and fresh supplies from the city. 

It took most of the day to scour his way through the forest once. While doubling back along the path to the village, he spotted an item lying off of the side of the path. Upon closer inspection, it looked like his father’s canteen.

This wasn’t the usual path to the city at all.  _Why in the world would he go this way?_ His jaw tensed and his chest tightened with worry, but he had to press on.

The trees seemed to go on forever. There was no proper road here, much less a path of desire to follow.

After what felt like hours of wandering through the thick wood, he spied something quite different off in the distance: a crystal spire that stood in stark contrast to the now mostly bare trees. As he approached it with increasing urgency, he eventually reached a great wrought iron gate. The surrounding walls were thick with rambling jet-black roses and huge, thorny branches. Although he was tempted to examine them more closely, he had to stay focused. The gates were slightly ajar, so it was easy enough to slip through without making much noise.

He stood in the courtyard of what he could only guess was an old palace that had fallen into disrepair. Overgrown plants littered the area, straying into the path and obscuring statues and other garden decorations. With some trepidation, he approached the door and knocked thrice as firmly as he possibly could. There was no response. After about a minute of waiting in anxious silence, he tried again, but to no avail. Now opting for the direct approach, he took hold of the door handles and pushed inward. The doors yielded with a great creak.  

He entered slowly, scanning the area as carefully as he could while his eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. “Hello?” He called, only to be met by his own voice echoing through the hall.

He spotted a door off to the side that had been left open, revealing a set of stairs leading downward. A lit candelabra sat in a small alcove on the side of the hallway. He gingerly took it, stepping carefully down the dark stairway. The stairs spiraled downward and there was a distinct damp smell the further down the stairs he went. He was clearly heading toward a basement or cellar.

At the bottom of the stairs, he managed to make out what appeared to be grates or gates by candlelight. He wasn’t familiar with buildings like these, but a distinctly queasy feeling in his stomach warned him that this was _not_ where he wanted to be. “Oh no.” He muttered and prepared to turn and go back up the stairs when he heard a familiar voice.

“Wh-who’s there?…”

Darien nearly sprinted in the direction of the voice until, at long last, he came face to face with his father. “Father! Thank god you’re alright!”

The older man’s face, already worn from exhaustion and worry, blanched. “Darien, no, you have to get out of here! Leave me, just go home and forget this place!”

Darien's brow furrowed with confusion. “What on earth are you talking about? I didn’t come all this way just to abandon you!” 

“No, son, you don’t understand, you  _ need _ to leave before-”

_ “WHO GOES THERE?" _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally underway! Huge shoutout to mandersdraws for keeping me sane and being a wonderful sounding board. <3
> 
> Who's who:  
> Liza = Unazuki Furuhata (Lizzie in the US dub)  
> Andrew = Motoki Furuhata (US dub name)  
> Beryl = take a guess  
> For reference, I imagined her resembling her manga design (on the left [ in the Materials Collection)](https://gallery.missdream.org/albums/scanlation_smoon/smoon_materialscollection/materials022.png)
> 
> If anyone's interested, I've put together Spotify and YouTube (for everything I couldn't find on Spotify) playlists of music to go with this fic. I'm happy to share the links to the playlists in full and/or specific pieces in the notes of the chapters they appear in.
> 
> For those who are curious, here's what I picked for the first couple of chapters:  
> [Slip Into Spring](https://youtu.be/3rGCoRsFB9Y?t=8s) from Riverdance  
> [Petals in the Wind](https://youtu.be/hX9R2ILphuA) from Fire Emblem Fates  
> [I've Never Been There](https://youtu.be/Yh3Ef44Rqj0) from Amélie  
> [Invisible Roses](https://youtu.be/jgr3t2wEE7M) from Revolutionary Girl Utena  
> [Dusk Falls](https://youtu.be/tq0bxkvKVDI) from Fire Emblem Fates  
> [Silence of the Forest](https://youtu.be/2GmAeOFDKoE) from Bravely Default  
> [Find Your Way](https://youtu.be/Mn0T6Xh5VXY) from Final Fantasy VIII


End file.
